From Plaza de Armas Benches to Comedy Stardom

Paul Vásquez, known as El Flaco, is a Chilean comedian who became well known as a member of the comedy group Dinamita Show. Before that, as he recalled on Canal 13's programme De tú a tú, he spent part of his youth living on the streets of central Santiago. The programme does not give dates or say how long it lasted, and it does not explain why he was there.

He described the geography of those days precisely. He slept on benches in the Plaza de Armas, at the orfeón, and in the Metro, including the Universidad de Chile station facing Paseo Ahumada. The Metro opened at seven in the morning, and he would buy a ticket with his own money, ride toward Neptuno and doze, then change platforms toward Escuela Militar to keep sleeping. On rainy days he and others went down into the Metro to get out of the weather. He said the hardest thing about the street was the cold.

To earn money he painted his face and worked as a clown. He spoke of a group of about seven people he spent time with, including girls and two older men who stole. He said he kept his distance from the thefts, and he recalled that money among friends went mainly on food.

He said that he had been brought up with good values and a proper education, describing a decent upbringing and being taught to do the right thing.

The programme does not describe how he left the street or what came next, only that he later became a popular humorist.